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Page 405
for his sakeOh, this is ridiculous! Lord Ian has been my father's friend for years. I have known him since I was a child. You need not take my word upon it. Ask Lord Ian; he will vouch for me, I assure you."
Salisbury was desperately puzzled. The clumsy, inept plot that Ela had described to him did not sound like John's doing, yet he could not think of any other of Ian's enemies who was desperate enough and stupid enough to concoct such a messunless it was Cantelu and Cornhill. But he could not believe that Sir Robert would have anything to do with them, and he was certainly telling the truth when he said he had no intention of harming Ian. Yet he had to probe further.
"Then what were you doing when you held off FitzWalter, who was going to Lord Ian's assistance."
This time there was no laughter. Sir Robert stared at the king's half brother. Hot words rushed into his mind, but he closed his mouth upon them. It had been made very clear to him that, if information about what had happened came to the king's ears, the matter would be twisted to Ian's detriment. Sir Robert knew also that, although Salisbury seemed a friend to Ian, his first love and loyalty was to his brother. No matter that the plot was the king's. There could be no proof of that now. To gain proof, they would have needed to allow FitzWalter and de Quincy to strike and, even then, who would take their wordsa few poor knights-errantagainst the words of close companions of the king? It had all been explained very carefully to Sir Robert, and he knew what he had to say.
"That had nothing to do with Lord Ian," he replied sullenly. "I had a private grudge against FitzWalter."
There was a false note in that, Salisbury thought. What sort of grudge could this young man have? How could he even know FitzWalter? "Oh, really? Yet he was on the field all day, and you chose just that moment to attack him. If your love for Lord Ian is what you say, it is strange that you should fall upon one coming

 
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